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Truck Stop Shortage In Florida Addressed By Federal Funds

In a recent article, the Sun Sentinel reported that the Federal Highway Administration has awarded $1 million to the state of Florida to add a new truck stop with 90 truck parking spaces near the junction of Interstate 595, Florida's Turnpike and State Road 7.

Every time an 18-wheeler parks on a highway shoulder or exit ramp, other motorists are at an increased risk of collision. Truckers have often no choice. "We have trucks parking all over the place," says Jeff Weidner, a Florida Department of Transportation project manager, "along the road, under bridges, in park-and-ride lots." Some roads, like Interstate 95, carry as many as 10,000 trucks a day.

While motorists do not often crash into parked tractor-trailers, the shortage of truck stops has more dangerous consequences, ironically brought about by the Department of Transportation's safety rules. The hours-of-service regulation prohibits drivers to drive more than 11 consecutive hours. This means that there are peak hours when most truck drivers, tired after so many hours of driving, converge to the few parking lots that are available in the region where they happen to be. Not only do they want to stop, wash, eat and rest, they must do it immediately.

The Florida 595 Truck Stop will open in May 2012. The nearest full-service truck stop along the I-595 was 60 miles away in Port St. Lucie, with only 35 parking spots for 18-wheelers.

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